


Right and Wrong

by mishmewisha



Category: Hatchetfield Universe - Team StarKid
Genre: Abuse, Angst, Chaos, Childhood Trauma, Comfort/Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Wedding, honestly, i have a place to go i swear
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-30
Updated: 2021-02-06
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:07:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 6,822
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28423695
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mishmewisha/pseuds/mishmewisha
Summary: Emma loved Paul and Paul loved Emma. They couldn't be happier. But it seems something is going on at Paul's place of work. Has been for years.orEmma's adventures in Hatchetfield if she never left for Guatemala.
Relationships: Paul Matthews/Emma Perkins
Comments: 10
Kudos: 21





	1. A New Beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a little set up, a little action. woot woot.

Emma Perkins. Seventeen. Alone. Scared.

That was how Emma felt. No matter how much she didn’t want to admit the last two. She wanted to go home. But she didn’t want to go to the house she grew up in. Emma wanted a real home where she would be loved and accepted. Somewhere where the pain would stop. Somewhere with Jane.

Jane. Emma missed Jane. She had gotten in a car accident and died when Emma was sixteen. Jane left behind a husband, a son, and, of course, Emma.

It had been a year since Jane died when their mother, Rachel Perkins, decided that she had had enough with Emma. She never liked her younger daughter anyway so why keep her around? Especially after she had gotten caught with a girl in her bedroom. That was the last straw for Mrs. Perkins. After a yelling match and a slap to her cheek, Emma was out on the street. Alone and scared. Just like always.

Now that she was alone, Emma wasn’t all that sure what to do with herself. She didn’t have anything to live for but she wanted something. She didn’t want to be a wandering shell of nothing. All she knew for sure was she needed a job and she needed it quick.

January. Two months out of the house. Emma had managed to save up a little money and had finally turned eighteen. She managed to get some shitty job as a waitress at some equally shitty restaurant on the edge of town. It had been the worst experience of her life and she didn’t even get paid minimum wage. It was enough to get by though. She had enough food and water. The only thing she didn't have was her own place to stay. She stayed with her friends most nights but depending on the day, she was still left out in the cold. Alone.

It was one of those days. Emma knew she would have somewhere warm to stay tomorrow with one of her friends. But that was tomorrow. Tonight, she was out in the cold and the snow on her own. She managed to find a small heated bit beside the outdoor patio of a restaurant. She knew it wouldn’t last long but at least it would give her some relief while she waited for morning to come.

But before morning came, Emma heard a voice call to her. Not her name but she knew it was to her.

“Hey, you!” The figure said, moving closer.

Emma immediately got to her feet, confused and concerned. Then it hit her. This must be the owner of the restaurant. She looked at the figure approaching her. “Oh, sorry, sir. I’ll just be going…”

The figure moved closer, getting taller as they approached. “I don’t want you to leave. In fact, I was wondering if you’d like to make an easy two-hundred bucks? You seem like you need it.”

Emma furrowed her eyebrows. No way was this guy legit. “First of all, rude. Second of all, I know better than to fall for a scam like that, thanks.” She turned to walk away.

The figure sighed. “It’s not a scam. I’ll even pay you upfront.” They pulled out two crisp one-hundred-dollar bills. “Just need a bit of DNA for a study.”

Emma turned around to see exactly what the mysterious figure said. Two-hundred-dollars. She could really use that. She hesitated for a moment before she nodded. “Fine.” She took the money she got offered. “What do I need to do?”

The figure smiled, pulling something out of their pocket. “Forget this ever happened.”

Emma felt the figure grab her arm and something poke her neck. “Hey, what the fu…” 

Emma suddenly began to feel her head getting heavy and her vision begin to blur. Then she fell. And then there was nothing. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> bravooo bravooo end of chapter one. i hope you enjoyed it! leave a kudos or a comment if you wanna i wont force you


	2. Boonies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> boonies! that's all.

Cold.

And wet.

Those were Emma's first thoughts the next time she woke up. Something below her was cold and wet. But then she began to feel the worst headache in her life. She couldn't find the space in her head to focus on much else.

Emma's eyes fluttered open. She seemed to be laying by the same restaurant that she had been the night before. The one that kept her warm. This was weird. She thought she left because… She couldn't remember why.

Emma furrowed her eyebrows, pushing herself up to a sit. Oh. She was sitting in the snow. No wonder she was feeling so cold and wet. She stuffed her hands in her pockets to get a little bit of warmth. But in her right pocket, she could feel something. Something that hadn't been there the night before. She pulled it out and…

"Where the hell did I get two-hundred bucks?" Emma mumbled to herself. She racked her brain for any possible memory of the night before but she still couldn't figure it out. All she remembered was the restaurant and some dream with a weird guy. At least she was pretty sure it was a dream. 

Deciding not to dwell on it, Emma stood up and brushed some snow off of herself. Sleeping in the snow had definitely been a horrible decision. She was freezing. And her head still hurt like crazy. And now she was hungry too. 

Emma looked down at the money that she had mysteriously obtained. She could afford breakfast and coffee. Her gaze moved to the restaurant she had fallen asleep by. Might as well.

Ignoring her headache, Emma pushed herself to her feet and made her way inside. Turns out it wasn't a restaurant. It was a cafe. A local one. Emma recognized it. She knew she had walked past before while they had been building it. She was pretty sure it was called Boonies.

Emma walked up to the counter and ordered herself a sandwich and a coffee. That should get her through the day. She watched the woman put in her order before turning back to her.

"Is that all?" The barista asked.

"Oh, um…" Then Emma saw the signposted on the wall behind the counter. Taking applications. Pays minimum wage. She knew she would probably hate the job but she needed that money and she needed it fast. "Actually, could I get an application?”

The barista in front of her smiled. “Yeah, of course.” She handed over the form and a pen. “I’m Nora by the way. I own the place so you can just come to me once you’re ready for an interview.”

Emma smiled back. “Thanks. I’ll let you know when I’m ready.” She finished paying for her food before heading to the counter by the window where she ate and filled out her form. She hated customer service but at least Nora seemed nice. She did make shitty coffee though. Bleh. 

After Emma finished her meal and her form, she was back up at the counter and immediately got her interview. It went well. She started on Monday.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading! apparently kudos are cool idk how this website works


	3. The Tall Boy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trauma... and cute boy!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw for abuse and trauma

_ Yelling. So much yelling. Emma was unphased. It was normal for her to wake up to it. _

_ Emma fluttered her eyes open to see the ceiling of her childhood bedroom. A plain, off white ceiling that matched the walls of her room. She never got to decorate her room like her sister did. All she was allowed to do was rely on posters and paintings to keep her room at least somewhat interesting.  _

_ She sat up and pushed herself out of bed. Emma knew going downstairs would be a death trap, but she had Jane. Jane always protected her. She was sure it would be fine. _

_ Emma slipped on some socks and wandered down the stairs. The arguing between her parents continued to get louder as she moved further down the stairs. Something about a car and Jane. Emma couldn’t make out any actual sentences though. So she ignored it and continued on, trying to make her way to the kitchen. She didn’t make it though. _

_ As Emma was trying to slip past her parents, she felt a hand grab her arm and tug her back. Emma shrieked. Suddenly, her mother was in her face with a tight grip on her arm. That was going to leave a mark. _

_ “Where the hell do you think you’re going, Emily?” Mrs. Perkins asked. _

_ Emma was scared out of her mind. She was desperately trying to figure out what she did wrong this time but nothing was coming up. “I- I was just trying to get some breakfast…?” She squeaked as her moms’ grip got tighter on her arm. _

_ “Don't play dumb! You know what the fuck you did!”  _

_ “No- no, I don't!” Emma said, doing her best to not focus on the pain in her arm. _

_ “Jane is fucking dead. And it’s because she couldn’t focus on anything but you! You and all your fake problems distracted her and now she’s dead!” Mrs. Perkins pushed Emma to the ground. _

_ Emma immediately began to feel tears well up in her eyes for many reasons. Her arm hurt and now her leg did too, Jane was gone, and her mother was just going to keep yelling. She wanted to go home. But she didn’t have one. “M- mom, please! I didn’t do anything!” _

_ Mrs. Perkins shook her head. “Oh, yes, you did. And actions have consequences. You’re gonna pay.” Her hand started flying towards Emma’s cheek and- _

“Emma. Hey, wake up. Your break is over.”

Emma’s eyes fluttered open again. She saw a plain off-white ceiling again but instead of being hers, it was the Beanies breakroom. Her eyes moved over to see Nora standing next to her. Oh.

“We’ve got a line, Perkins. On your feet.” Nora said, stepping away from the half-awake Emma.

Emma shook herself out of her memories and pushed herself up. "Sorry, Nora. I'll get out there in a sec." Emma reached over and threw her apron on.

Nora nodded. "Yeah. You will. Move your ass."

Emma watched Nora disappear into her office. She hated not having anyone else on a shift with her. 

With one last deep breath, Emma stepped out behind the counter. She had been working at Beanies for a few months and was used to all the annoying customers. But she could really use a good one today. 

She didn't get her wish for a while. It was only assholes and Karen's and flirty douchebags. Emma did her best to keep her cool, managing to only tell off a customer a few times throughout her shift. She didn’t want to but sometimes she just got a little too pissed off.

Thankfully, the flow of customers slowed down and she was able to take a second for herself. She couldn’t get Jane out of her head. She should call Tom. He was getting the car back soon. Maybe she should try to have a relationship with him and Tim. 

Emma shook herself out of her thoughts when she heard the bell above the front door ring. Right. She had a job. She put on her best customer service smile and looked over to the customer. He was tall and had a big backpack on. Definitely one of the college students. They came in all the time.

Emma looked up to him, getting ready to put in his order. “Hi, what can I get for you?”

The boy looked down at her with a polite smile. He seemed tired. And tall. Why was he so tall?

“I’ll just have a large black coffee, thanks.”

Emma nodded, punching the order into the register. “You’ve got it. Can I get a name for that?”

The boy nodded. “Paul.”

Emma quickly wrote that on a large cup before ringing him up. “Perfect… That’ll be four-fifty.”

Paul nodded, handing over his card. “There you are.” He sneakily dropped a ten-dollar bill into the tip jar as he did so.

Emma breathed out a little laugh as she swiped his card. “I saw that you know,” she teased, giving him a look.

Paul laughed a little. Oh, shit, the cute girl noticed. "Oh, uh, it was– I just–"

Emma chuckled, handing Paul his card back. "You don't have to be all embarrassed, dork. Unless it’s a fake bill. Let’s see..." She reached into the jar and pulled out the bill. "Wow, ten bucks. And it’s real. I'm the only one officially on the clock right now so you meant this just for me, right?"

Paul nodded. "Oh, yeah, that's just for you." 

Emma smiled. "Thanks, weirdo." She stuffed the bill in her pocket before going on to make his coffee. "But anyway… You've got yourself a pretty big coffee. A long night of studying, I'm guessing?"

Paul nodded. "Yeah. I've– I've got a midterm tomorrow so I want to make sure I'm ready."

Emma nodded, obviously interested. “That’s cool, man. With the amount of caffeine in these coffees, you’re definitely gonna get a good grade.” 

Paul smiled to himself. “Thanks. If that’s true, maybe I’ll have to come in here more often.”

Emma smiled, snapping the lid onto his cup. “Maybe you will.” She paused for a second. She didn’t want him to go. Though she couldn’t pinpoint why. “Well, here you are. One large black coffee. Which is boring as hell I might add.”

Paul shrugged, sipping his drink. “But it’ll get me through the night,” he joked. “Thank you for the coffee… What’s your name?”

“Emma.”

Paul nodded, making a mental note of that. “Emma. Got it. I will see you around then.” He did some awkward finger guns, making Emma laugh before he disappeared out the door and down the street.

Emma kept watching him until he was out of her line of sight. She smiled to herself, leaning against the counter. 

Paul. 

She was going to have to remember that one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well that was interesting. leave a kudos or a comment if youre feelin it. id love to hear what you all have to say! thanks for reading!


	4. Special Cup

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> OOO. . . Did she just ask him out? Yeah she did

The cutest and only nice regular. 

That was how Emma described Paul to her co-workers who didn’t care at all. They never saw him. He somehow only came in when Emma was on the register. 

And it was another one of those days. Emma was on the register. All she was doing was waiting for Paul to show up — with the occasional other customer interrupting her thoughts. She knew he was coming and she already had a special cup ready for him. It was only a matter of time. 

Emma periodically checked the clock. She watched the seconds tick by. Soon, those seconds turned into minutes, and then into hours. Time felt like it was slowing down and speeding up at the same time. All she wanted was for Paul to walk through that door. He was taking so long. 

As Emma approached the end of her shift, she was starting to worry that he wasn’t coming today. Which wasn’t a big deal in the grand scheme of things but she had been working up the courage to-

Ding!

Emma turned around to see Paul finally walking through the front door. She smiled at him, going up to her spot at the register. Suddenly, nothing was wrong. “Took you long enough. I’ve been waiting for you all day, dork.”

Paul smiled back, heading right to the register. “I know, sorry I didn’t come to visit earlier. No one did their work for our group project so I’ve been putting in the missing parts all day.”

Emma furrowed her eyebrows, already punching in his regular order. “God, really? Your group sounds like a bunch of assholes. Maybe next time just don’t do your work and see what happens,” she joked.

Paul breathed out a little laugh. “As much as I would love to, I do have a GPA to maintain. So I will survive off my coffee and do the work of four people.”

Emma shook her head, pouring his drink into the special cup she had ready. “And I wish you luck. But remember, fucking up a little on the parts other people were supposed to do wouldn’t be all that bad.”

Paul sighed. “I would love to but again, GPA. My parents are paying for my classes so the least I can do is keep my grades up.”

Emma felt a little twang in her heart when he said that. He had parents that loved him. Why couldn’t she? “Well, I’m sure your parents are proud of you either way.” She snapped the lid on his cup before handing it off to him. “I wish you luck with your project and… see you tomorrow?”

Paul smiled. “See you then.” He paid for his coffee and gave Emma a pretty sizeable tip. As per usual. After that, he gave her a little wave and headed out the door. Once he was about a block away, he noticed something written on the side of his cup. Hm.

_ Hey dork, here’s my number if you maybe wanna set up a date sometime? -E _

Paul smiled. He had been trying to figure out how to ask her for weeks. Thank god Emma had more confidence than him. 

Paul went right ahead and pulled out his phone in the middle of the street. He couldn’t wait.

Paul → Emma

_ What are you doing on Saturday? -P _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> what cuties. thank you for reading! 
> 
> \- M


	5. Moving in

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ohh no that's not good

Paul and Emma. A perfect relationship. Couple goals. OTP. The perfect pair.

They were perfect for each other and neither of them had ever been happier. On their first date, they were already comfortable telling each other anything. It was like fate. They were meant to meet and meant to be together. They would believe if they believed in soulmates. All the two of them knew was that they were in love with each other. And that’s all they cared about.

Six months. Six months of absolute bliss. Paul and Emma couldn’t be happier. They spent their anniversary out getting ice cream and walking in Oakly Park. Emma would list random facts about plants as they passed them. She had an odd fascination with plants. Maybe someday she’d work with them. But for now, she could barely afford her apartment so she couldn’t be thinking about school. And anyway, her thoughts were already taken up by Paul.

Speaking of Paul, he hadn’t been this happy since he was a kid. Something about Emma made him incredibly happy. She always got chatty when she was stressed and would hug him at every chance possible. He couldn’t get enough of her. Emma was his everything.

It was mid-afternoon on their six-month anniversary. Emma had brought Paul over to her tiny apartment to hang out. She wasn’t even nineteen and she had her own place. It was missing a lot of furnishings that she needed but it worked. She had a couch and a bed and Paul had gotten her a TV a few months in. It was functional. That was all that mattered. 

As some shitty Hallmark movie played on the little TV, Emma cuddled further into Paul’s chest. Since he was on summer break, they were spending a lot of extra time together. It was a dream come true. For both of them.

“...Do you think there’s a conspiracy behind Hallmark?” Emma asked. “Their movies are just so weird? I mean, they made a movie about a bunch of girls who all got pregnant in high school because they had a pact? What the fuck is that?”

Paul shrugged. “No idea. Hallmark movies are just the epitome of average. There’s just no other way to put it.”

Emma paused. Hm. “No, they range from bad to average though. That’s the thing. It does depend on the movie though.” 

Paul nodded. “That’s true. Maybe we should-”

There was suddenly a knock on the door.

Emma sighed. She hated it when people knocked on her door. “Hold on, I’ll get it.” She stood up and walked to the entrance. It could be anything behind that door. But the last thing she was expecting was to see her landlord standing there. “Um… Can I help you, sir?”

“You’re being evicted.” He said.

Emma froze. This couldn’t be happening. She paid her rent. “What- What are you talking about? I’ve sent in my rent on time every month. Did- Did I forget something?”

The man nodded. “Inflation. Rent went up this month and you didn’t get it in. Sorry, Ms. Perkins.” He handed her the eviction notice. “You have two days.” And just as fast as he appeared, he was gone.

Emma stared down at the piece of paper. She couldn’t afford anything higher. She already had trouble getting by. After a moment of staring, she shut the door and leaned against it. It was only a matter of time before she sank down onto the floor. She couldn’t be homeless again. She couldn’t.

Something she had forgotten during that interaction was that Paul was just in the other room. He heard every word. 

Paul slowly stepped into the entryway, taking a seat next to Emma. “Hey… Are you alright?”

Emma sniffled, looking over at Paul for a second. "N– no. I don't know what I'm gonna do." She looked over the eviction notice again. "I can't be homeless again, Paul. I– I can't do it."

Paul's eyebrows furrowed. "You– You were homeless?"

Emma nodded, hugging herself. "Yeah, um, before we met. My mom kicked me out last November and I didn't move in here until February. It was scary, Paul. I– I…" Her voice trailed off as she started to relive the worst few months of her life. She knew she was really lucky to have only lived through that for a few months but it was still scary.

Paul frowned, wrapping his arm around her. "Hey, it's okay. You're not gonna be homeless again. I promise." he kissed her head, pulling her closer.

Emma shook her head, looking down at the paper in her hands. “Yes, I am, Paul. I just got kicked out of my apartment and I have nowhere else to go.”

Paul gave her a look. “No. You are not, Emma. Come on, um… I need to get an apartment this year because I’m not staying in the dorms. You can stay with me.”

Emma looked up at him, unsure of what to say. “I- I don’t know, Paul… You have classes and- and homework. Shouldn’t you focus on that?”

“Emma.” Paul took her hands in his. “I’m not going to have a problem getting my homework done. I am going to have a problem seeing you not have a place to live. You can stay with me. Okay?”

Emma looked over his face. She didn’t know if she should say yes but she knew she couldn’t say no. She didn’t want to break up and get kicked out again. But that wouldn’t happen… Hopefully. She nodded. “Okay… Okay… Yeah. I’ll stay with you.” She leaned into his chest. She really needed a hug.

Paul nodded, wrapping his arms around Emma. “Cool. We can look for a place tomorrow.”

“Cool.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading!


	6. Bang. Jane.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Angst and fluff all in one.
> 
> tw for abuse and hitting all that stuff

_ Flash. Bang. Is that Jane? _

_ Emma felt two small hands on her arms shaking her awake. Ah, yes. Life. She fluttered her eyes open just to see her older sister standing over her excitedly. This wasn’t her usual morning routine. Usually, her broken alarm clock went off with a horrible screech every morning but today was different. Why was it different? _

_ “Come on, sleepyhead!” Jane said, bouncing on her feet. “We’re going to grandma’s for Christmas and mom said she got us a Nintendo!” There it was. It was Christmas. Jane tugged on Emma’s arm to try to get her to stand. _

_ Emma sighed, rubbing her eyes as she sat up. “You mean she got you a Nintendo. They’d never get me something like that.” Emma pouted. In all her ten years of life, she had never gotten something she really wanted. It all went to Jane.  _

_ Jane gave her a look. “Oh, come on! Just because it has my name on it doesn’t mean you can’t use it too. It’s like how we share clothes! Come on! This is gonna be a fun day!” _

_ Emma shook her head. “We share clothes because mom won’t buy me any.” _

_ Jane rolled her eyes. “Don’t be such a Debby Downer,” she said, having no comprehension of what was actually happening. “It’s Christmas!” _

_ Emma sighed again, looking up at her older sister. “...Fine. Don’t expect smiles though.” She pushed herself out of bed and started digging through her drawers to find something to wear.  _

_ Jane rolled her eyes again, starting to head back for the door. “Oh, whatever. By the way, mom said she wants you.” _

_ Emma furrowed her eyebrows, flipping herself around. “What?” But Jane was already gone. Emma took a deep breath and did her best to calm her pounding heart. Shit. _

_ After taking an unordinary amount of time to get dressed, Emma finally built up enough courage to brave the walk downstairs to see her mom. She didn’t want to but knew if she waited any longer her mom would probably be bursting into her room anyway. So, might as well keep her room as safe as she could. _

_ This wasn’t the first time her mom had demanded to see her and she knew it wouldn’t be the last either. Every little thing she did made her mom annoyed and trying to run just made it worse. She proved that to herself when she was seven and made an attempt to not go home one day. It really didn’t work out for her. _

_ She cautiously stepped into the grimy, small kitchen, her wide eyes fixated on her mother standing at the counter with a cigarette in hand. “...Mom?” _

_ Mrs. Perkins flipped around, a piece of paper in her hand. “There you are. Care to explain this?” She held up the little paper. Emma just barely managed to make some of the text out. It was her report card.  _

_ “That- That’s my report card…?” Emma said, her voice beginning to shake as her mom stepped closer. _

_ “Yeah. It is. You got a C in math. What the fuck is that about, hm?” _

_ Emma furrowed her eyebrows. “It- it just happened. My teacher-” _

_ “I don’t give a shit about your teacher!” She smacked Emma to the ground. “Your sister has had straight A’s her entire life! Step it up or you’re out.” She kicked her and stomped off as Emma began to feel tears fall down her cheeks. This wasn’t the Christmas she wanted. _

_ Emma sat there for a few minutes, doing her best to suppress her sobs. Her entire life felt like it was crumbling around her more and more every day. She tried day after day to be strong and bear the pain but she could never stand it. It hurt too much. Her mom always called her weak for crying too. All it did was make her feel worse and she cried more and more. _

_ “Emma? Emma? What happened?” Jane sat next to her, pulling her in for a hug. She hated seeing her sister cry. _

_ Emma shook her head, wrapping her arms around her sister tightly. “D- Don’t ask,” she mumbled, refusing to show any more vulnerability than she already was.  _

_ Jane furrowed her eyebrows. As an aspiring psychiatrist, not having Emma open up to her was a bit annoying but she wouldn’t push. “Okay…” She sighed. Guess hugs were all she could do. _

_ But, of course, their sisterly moment was cut short. It always was. Emma never got to be happy. Their mom made sure of that. _

_ Mrs. Perkins came stomping back into the room, still just as angry as before. “Jane, come on! We’re gonna be late!” She grabbed her older daughter's arm and tugged her away from her sister. _

_ “Wha- Mom, what about Emma?” Jane looked at the smaller girl. She appeared to be getting smaller. She was already so tiny. _

_ “Emma’s not coming.” _

_ Mrs. Perkins tugged Jane away from Emma and towards the door. Jane didn’t want to leave Emma behind. That was her sister. “You can’t do that, mom! It’s Christmas!” _

_ “Don’t start with me, Jane!” Mrs. Perkins flipped around to face her. “Or I’ll be leaving you behind too!” She held her daughter a little tighter and pulled her out the front door, slamming it behind them.  _

_ Emma jumped at the bang. It wasn’t surprising to her that her mom left her behind. She never got anything. Why would she get this too? She squeezed her eyes shut in an attempt to make the pain go away. It didn’t work. But then she heard something. Something familiar. Hm. _

“Emma? Em? Are you alright?” 

Emma’s eyebrows furrowed. She heard a voice. Definitely wasn’t Jane’s. It was a man's voice. She was being shaken awake again though. Was she sure it wasn’t Jane again? Did she fall asleep on the kitchen floor?

She opened her eyes again, expecting to be greeted by her sister again. Instead, she saw the kind, worried face of her boyfriend, Paul. Paul. Right. She didn’t know how she felt. Opening her eyes and seeing him there made her happy, but it was also a blunt reminder that Jane was dead. She had been for years. God, what a wake-up call.

“I… I’m fine, Paul.” She looked around. She must've fallen asleep on the couch and fell off. She was on the floor. “Just tired.”

Paul gently helped Emma sit up, concern written all over his face. They had been living together for two years now and Paul was well accustomed to her dreams and flashbacks. But he had never come home to find her on the floor, crying in her sleep. Must’ve been a bad one.

“Em, you’re still crying. Are you sure?” He asked, using his thumbs to wipe away the leftover tears.

Emma furrowed her eyebrows. “I- I am?” She brought a hand up to feel her cheeks. Huh.

Paul nodded. “Yeah, you are. I walked in to find you asleep on the floor crying to yourself. It’s a little concerning…” 

Emma shook her head, quick to reject his worrying tendencies. She didn’t need anyone to be worried about her. “No, Paul, I’m fine, I swear. Just- Just a bad dream.” She pushed herself to her feet and immediately flopped down on the couch.

Paul was just more worried now. She didn’t often like to open up right after one of these, but she usually would when it wasn’t that bad. But this was clearly a bad one. “Emma, come on… It always helps to talk about it.”

She shook her head again, set in her decision. “Not right now, babe. C’mere. Just lay with me, will you?”

Paul sighed, doing as she said. He laid right next to her, resting his head on her shoulder and wrapping his arms around her protectively. He needed his baby to be okay.

Emma cracked a smile, her hand gently messing with Paul’s hair. “I know you’re worried about me, but let’s talk about something else, yeah? Like… Like, have you gotten any of the jobs you applied for?”

Paul sighed again. He knew his worry wouldn’t go away but he couldn’t push her. So, he just answered the question. “Yeah, I got a job offer. It’s really good and stuff. Gets me health insurance. But the thing is, my mom works in another department for the same company. I love her but I don’t know about working with her.”

Emma shrugged. “I think it would be adorable personally. You could come into Beanies with her after work and she can show me baby photos while you get all embarrassed. Your face is so adorable when it’s all red.”

Paul gave her a look, ignoring how his face had gone a little red just by her saying that. “It is so not. And no way am I letting my mom show anyone baby photos.”

“Well, how long has she worked there?”

“My whole life.”

Emma laughed a little. “Then it’s too late for you. She’s definitely already shown everyone your baby photos.”

Paul groaned, burying his face in her shoulder. “God, I hate that you’re right.”

“You were a cute baby, don’t worry.”

“Oh, shut up.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> that one was a doozy but hey it ended cute! thanks for reading!


	7. Seeing double

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> just many nightmare time spoilers, forever and always to be specific. read at your own risk

Consciousness. Something that Emma appreciated only during the best of times. If it wasn’t the best of times, she just wished she could be back in bed, cuddled into her boyfriend's side as she peacefully slept. Thankfully for her, that was what she woke up to that morning. 

She couldn’t help but crack a smile when she saw her boyfriend sleeping peacefully beside her. She spent a few minutes watching him lovingly before his alarm clock went off his eyes opened just to see Emma looking right at him.

“Hey, Em. Good morning.”

Emma smiled softly, leaning into his warmth. “Morning, baby. Sleep well?”

Paul nodded. “Yeah. You?”

Emma shrugged. “Pretty okay. I woke up kinda early though so maybe we can just call out of work and we can stay here and cuddle and sleep?” She said hopefully.

Paul gave her a look. “We have to go to work, Emma.”

Emma groaned, falling on her back. “Ugh, what a buzzkill.”

Paul nodded, pushing himself up and heading off to the closet to get dressed. “I know. But hey, I’ll be coming in to visit you at work, yeah? It’s not all bad,” He said, grabbing one of his dark navy blue suits and a light blue tie to match.

Emma sighed. “I guess. But I start later than you today so I just have to sit and wallow in my sadness by myself until it’s time to get up and go to my shitty job.”

“You could get a better job if you wanted, Em.”

“...No.”

“Mhm.” Paul tightened his tie before turning around to face her, all dressed up in his suit and tie. Ready for work. “I’m gonna go, okay? Remember to eat before you go to work.”

Emma sighed. “Can you order breakfast for me and have it delivered?”

Paul laughed a little. “You are unbelievably lazy,” he teased. “I’ll get you something from that new bagel place downtown, okay?”

Emma smiled. “Thanks, dork. Much appreciated.”

Paul jokingly rolled his eyes, walking over to give her a little goodbye kiss. “Mhm. See you in a few hours.” He gave her one more kiss before heading out. Just a few hours without him. Just a normal day.

◈

Emma didn't enjoy her job at Beanies all that much. She had worked there for years and she had convinced herself it would get better as time went on. It never did though. She still hated her job. If anything, it had just gotten so much worse over the years. Her co-worker never worked, but if she was caught not doing something for more than a second, she got reprimanded and nearly fired. It was the worst.

Paul always made her day though. He came in to visit on his break every single day. And if he couldn’t come in one day, he always made sure to text her happy messages instead. It wasn’t one of those days though. 

The bell above the front door rang as the one and only Paul Matthews came walking in wearing a black suit. Black. Emma could’ve swore she saw him put on his blue one that morning. And didn’t he have a solid colored tie instead of a striped one? Was she going crazy? And since when did he sweep his hair to the left?

Paul walked up to the counter, smiling at his girlfriend. “Hey, Em! How’s it going?”

Emma looked him over. God, was she high? Something was off. “Hi, Paul… Did- Did you change clothes? I could’ve sworn you were wearing a blue suit today.”

Paul shrugged, not at all phased by the question. “No, I’ve been wearing this suit all day.” He looked her over. “...Are you okay?”

Emma nodded, shaking herself out of her confusion. “Yes. Yes, I’m fine, sorry. I must’ve been really tired this morning. Um, do you want the usual?” She asked, just wanting to change the subject.

Paul thought about it for a second. “Um… Actually, can I get a caramel frap today? It just sounds really good. It’s a great day today.”

Emma furrowed her eyebrows. This was new. “I, um… Yeah. Yeah, great day. Yeah.” She got to work on the drink, her thoughts running wild. She could’ve sworn on her life that he had put on a blue suit with a lighter blue tie.  _ Not  _ a black suit with a striped red tie. It had to be her mistake. She must be getting it mixed up yesterday. But no, he had worn a brown suit yesterday. She remembered that very specifically. Why was she even so worked up about this? It had to-

Her thoughts were cut off by Paul’s voice behind her. She jumped and dropped the drink. God, this was a shitty day.

“Emma, are you sure you’re alright?” He asked.

Emma sighed, grabbing a towel to clean up what she spilled. “I- I’m fine, Paul. I just feel like I’m going a little crazy right now. I think I need a nap.” She shook her head.

Paul sighed. “Alright, Emma… Don’t worry about my drink, okay? Here.” He handed her a twenty-dollar bill. “Just tips today. I’ll come to pick you up after work.”

Emma looked at the money he was offering. She took it without question. Less work for her. “I- Yeah, Yeah, that sounds great, Paul. Thank you.” Just as he pulled his hand back, she saw something. They looked like small little numbers tattooed on his wrist. She would’ve thought he wrote them on there if it weren’t for the fact that they were in the Times New Roman font. 

She quickly grabbed his hand and pushed his sleeve up. Twenty-three. What the hell? “Paul, when the fuck did you get a tattoo?”

Paul furrowed his eyebrows. Now he was getting a little more flustered. “I- I’ve always had that, Em.”

Emma shook her head. “No, you haven’t. We’ve been dating for almost three years, where the fuck did the tattoo come from?”

Paul pulled his hand back, tugging his sleeve down. “I have always had it, Emma. Since I was a kid.” Technically, not a lie. “We can talk about this later, okay?”

Emma looked him over. Clearly, he wasn't getting anything out of him. So, she just gave in. "Fine. I want an explanation though."

Paul shook his head, awkwardly tugging at his sleeve now. "You’ll get one. Jeez.”

Emma sighed. “Are you mad at me now? Really? You know what, nevermind. I’ll see you at home.” She disappeared into the break room. She needed a break. Desperately. 

◈

Emma emerged from her break about twenty minutes later and got back to work. She was still perplexed by what had happened earlier. She swore Paul didn’t have a tattoo on his wrist and Zoey and Nora both said they didn’t remember seeing one either. Though Emma was sure neither of them had ever examined his wrist before. Who the hell would do that?

She was about halfway through her shift when the bell above the door rang it was a familiar bell. Emma looked up to see who it was and… 

“Paul? Why the hell are you back here?”

Paul furrowed his eyebrows, stepping up to the counter. “What? I haven’t come in yet today.”

Emma looked him over. He was back in his navy blue suit with the light blue tie again. And his hair was swept to the right. She was convinced she was going crazy. “Yes- No, yes, you did! You were wearing a different suit and tie and- and you had a tattoo! What the fuck, man!”

Paul could feel a few people looking at him and Emma now. Well shit. “I had a tattoo? Was it a number?”

Emma huffed. “Yes, it was! Don’t play dumb! I know you have a tattoo right-” She grabbed his wrist and pushed up his sleeve. Nothing. No number, no makeup covering it up. Just his normal, blank wrist. She checked the other one. Still nothing. “Okay… okay… okay. Nope. I- I’m going home.” She shook her head, pulling away from him and tugging her apron off.

Paul furrowed his eyebrows. “Emma, are you okay?” He asked as he followed her behind the counter and into the break room, clearly concerned.

Emma nodded. “I am just fucking fabulous, Paul,” she huffed, beginning to grab her things.

Paul grabbed Emma’s hands and turned her to face him. “Emma, look at me. Whatever me you saw with a tattoo today, wasn’t me. Okay? That wasn’t me.”

Emma looked him over. There was a certain seriousness in his voice that made her know he wasn’t lying. But he clearly knew something she didn’t. “I-” She paused. “I wanna go home.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading!


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